Kennedy, John F. (1917-1963) to Jackie Robinson
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC09754.04 Author/Creator: Kennedy, John F. (1917-1963) Place Written: Washington, D.C. Type: Typed letter Date: 15 May 1959 Pagination: 2 p. ; 26.5 x 20.4 cm. Order a Copy
One typed letter addressed to Jackie Robinson dated May 15, 1959 from John F. Kennedy. Kennedy writes to Robinson refuting a column printed in the New York Post, where he criticized Senator Kennedy's "civil rights record." Kennedy disagrees the claim that he attended a "Southern Governors Conference." He refers Robinson to his voting record on civil rights and that Roy Wilkins, president of the NAACP has endorsed him.
Robinson wrote a column, "Jackie Robinson" for the New York Post on April 1959 where he criticized the then Senator Kennedy's civil rights voting record. Robinson was skeptical of Kennedy's wavering committment to the Civil Rights movement, especially after Kennedy received an endorsement from Alabama Governor John Patterson for his 1960 presidential campaign. Patterson had the support of the KKK.
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